Bobby Lee Cook


Bobby Lee Cook is a defense attorney from Summerville, Georgia, in Chattooga County. He has practiced law since the late 1940s, and is known for combining a sharp legal mind with a folksy demeanor. He has represented a wide variety of clients, from rural Southerners to international businessmen and corporations. He is reputed to have been the inspiration for the television series Matlock main character Ben Matlock, which starred Andy Griffith as a Georgia attorney.

Early life and education

Cook was born in 1925 in Lyerly, Georgia. He attended Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee. He practices law in Summerville with the Cook & Connelly law firm.

Career

Cook has been a defense attorney for over 65 years. He recalled a time of racial prejudice when African Americans were "required to sit in the balcony of old courtrooms". He describe it as "a most unusual, extraordinary time. It was a time when no women sat on juries, and certainly no blacks".
Cook is estimated to have won 80% of his murder trials and has "estimated his annual net income at $1 million".

Significant cases

"If you can :wikt:railroad#Verb|railroad a bad man to prison, you can railroad a good man."